In Search of Sara My Friend
by nicksfriend
Summary: Very simply, why did Sara leave without saying good-bye to her best friend Nick and how is Nick coping? Will he end up helping out Grissom and himself?
1. Chapter 1

Title: In Search of Sara, My Friend

Author: Nicksfriend

Rating:

Spoilers: Good-bye and Good Luck

Disclaimer: They do not belong to me...that is for sure.

Author's note:This is my first CSI fic. Please be gentle.

_You know how I am, taking a very short break as usual from my longer fic, I just wanted to help resolve something, the relationship between two very good friends. Nick loves Sara but it is a different love than Grissom's. It is the very best friend kind of love. I watched as Nick tormented himself over his friend's abduction and thought to myself, he knows what it feels like to have someone else in control of your life. Let's see how Nick is doing since Sara left and how far will he go to say GOOD-BYE._

As he sat in the lounge of the crime lab he could not help but to think how sad Grissom had become since Sara's sudden departure. Cowboy poetry? How low do you go, he thought to himself.

Sara had taken Grissom's heart, the spark that he had seen just weeks before was gone,and even though Grissom had chosen not to talk to him about Sara he knew the pain his boss was suffering. It was evident in his walk, how he dressed and how he spoke to others. The man was sad, but so was he.

Sara had left a big gapping hole in his heart something a friend should not do to a friend. He needed to rectify it,but how?

Warrick walked in disturbing his inward thoughts,"Hey, you want to go and get a beer?" Seeing that it was time for them to leave and they both had finished up their cases.

"I'm going to pass, I have a headache, think I'll just go home and go to bed," He stood and picked up his discarded jacket and pulled it over his arm, not taking the time to put it on.

"Okay, maybe another day. Hope you are not coming down with something." Warrick's voice was full of concern for his friend. Taking in his friend's pale appearance and his blood shot eyes.

"Nah, I'm just tired. See you tomorrow night." He gave Warrick a small wave, turned and headed for the garage.

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When he arrived at his SUV he stopped and just stared at the vehicle, the sun was just coming up and and as he stood there it hit him. He was not going to waste another day wondering what had happened to his friend and why she had not said good-bye.

He hit the alarm key and then opened the door. He threw his jacket into the back and got into the vehicle. Today he was going to resolve something that had bothered him for months,why had Sara Sidle left without a word.

He hit the speed dial on his phone, waiting for an answer.

"Grissom. What is it Nick?" he asked rather confused as to why his CSI was calling.

"Grissom I need a few days off for a personal reason. I need to go out of town." He felt confident that his boss would allow it, he never asked for a day off and he had been doing a lot of triple shifts of late.

"Nick, we are rather short staffed since Sara left, I don't know, where are you going?" Grissom rubbed at his tired eyes, a pile of paperwork sit before him on the desk.

"It's personal, I would rather not say." He felt that whatever he found out he would inform Grissom later, but for now he was not willing to give out his destination.

"Sounds as if you need to resolve something Nick," He paused as if he was trying to figure it out,"I hope you find what you are looking for."

"Me too Grissom, Me too. I should be back Monday." He did not wait for a response, he hung up his phone and turned the key in the ignition. He needed to stop by his house to get some things and then he would head for San Francisco.

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Short beginning and I promise another chapter to In God's Hands by tomorrow night. I was just wondering if anybody else felt this way...that Nick was sort of left out. He really hasn't talked about Sara, he just gives that look when she is mentioned by others, a rather sad look.

Tell me what you think.


	2. Chapter 2

Title: In Search of Sara, My Friend

Author: Nicksfriend

Rating:

Spoilers: Good-bye and Good Luck

Disclaimer: They do not belong to me...that is for sure.

Author's note:This is my first CSI fic. Please be gentle.

The drive to San Francisco was long, but almost nine hours later he had reached his destination. But it was going to be like finding a needle in a hay stack. He had no address, he only knew that that Sara's mother's name was Laura and that Sara left no forwarding address.

Well, brilliant idea to drive all the way here and not know where to start looking, big city and lots of places to hide if you do not want to be found.

He looked at his gas tank and decided he would first start by getting gas, pulling over to a Shell station he exited the Denali and stretched stiff muscles, the lack of sleep catching up with him suddenly, his eyes blurry from the long drive.

After filling the tank he walked inside to get a drink,the coffee was not fresh but it was strong and he needed it to get through the rest of the day. He glanced at his watch, it was a little after five.

He would find a descent motel and probably start fresh tomorrow. He grabbed a couple of apples from the stand and paid for them, then walked back out and got into his vehicle.

He was about to start the engine when he noticed some strange activity going on inside the station he had just left. He opened up his duffle bag and grabbed his spare gun, checking to see if it was loaded and taking off the safety.

He placed the gun underneath his shirt, to the back of his pants, picked up his cell and called 911. After being transferred several times he got a live operator. "Listen, my name is Nick Stokes, I am with the Las Vegas crime lab, I am located at the Shell Station at the corner of Levine and Stratta. There is an older man behind the counter and it appears that he is being robbed."

His hand automatically went to the door handle when he saw a gun flash into the older man's face. Nick continued giving details of what he was seeing."The possible robber just showed a gun, he is mid twenties and has blondish brown hair,tattoo of something on his right arm."

Suddenly there were shots as the 911 operator tried to get more information but Nick knew he had to act now. He dropped the phone and left his vehicle, careful not to be seen. He took his gun from his pants and made his way around to the only exit he could see and then he took a position, there he could see the reflection of the suspect in the window, people started crying and hovering down behind the isles in the store. He had seen too many crime scenes like this before and he knew that it usually ended bad.

Suddenly there was a gunshot echoing through the store and out into the street, the suspect had just shot the cashier.

He knew that he had to act now, no police cars in sight and the suspect was bent over the counter getting money out of the register, it was a now or never moment.

He raised his weapon and went through the door,"Freeze, stand up where I can see both of your hands, now!" He yelled as he entered the door, everybody including the robber stood still. In the back of Nick's mind he knew there could be others but so far he could see no signs of another person in the store. If there was a get-a-way car then it had not shown yet.

The suspect slid slowly off the counter and stood,both hands in the air, the gun still lying on the counter where he had laid it to get the money, blood was seeping from behind the counter and the cashier lay down face first to the floor.

"I need you to step away from the counter slowly, keeping your hands in the air." Nick was trying to keep his mind on all possibilities, he had been a cop before with the Dallas police dept but that was a long time ago but his instincts kicked back in and now he was acting his old role again.

A few sirens rolled up and Nick quickly grabbed for his ID but he had left it in his car, this could be a problem. " I need you to lie down on the floor, and do it now." He shouted again to the suspect, hoping to get him away from the weapon so that he could tell them who he was and that basically he was the good guy.

He took out his wallet and opened it to the drivers license, knowing they would run his identity through the data base.

An officer entered the door and pointed his gun at Nick, "Put your gun down."

"I am with the LVPD, I made the phone call to 911. The suspect is on the floor and his gun is on the counter, there is a man who has been shot behind the counter, here is my ID,"Waving his wallet in the air but keeping his gun pointed at the suspect.

"Slide if over," The officer shouted, he knew from the 911 call that a police officer from out of state was at the scene, but he had to clarify his identity, it was policy.

Nick slid his ID but kept his gun pointed at the suspect. The officer called it in and awaited an answer, it was positive for a Nicholas Stokes with the Las Vegas police department.

The officer took his gun off Nick and pointed it at the suspect too, going over and checking on the man behind the counter. "We need an ambulance to the scene now." He yelled into his radio, attached to his shoulder.

The officer cuffed the suspect and stood him up, ready to take him to the car when another car pulled up, a reign of bullets started, people were falling everywhere, including the officer holding on to the suspect.

Nick took cover and fired back at the car,the suspect also falling to the ground, a bullet hitting him in the chest. Glass and groceries were falling to the floor and Nick felt something sting in his leg but kept firing at the car that had driven up, knowing that the policemen outside still might consider him part of the robbery.

Nick could reach the fallen officer so he checked for a pulse, still there, this was a good thing but he needed assistance now. He took the officers radio and called out,"We have an officer down inside the store, he needs assistance now." Placing his hands over the wound, holding pressure.

The operator came back on and answered,"That is an affirmative, may I ask your name."

"This is Nick Stokes, an off duty officer with LVPD, I reported the robbery earlier, I have no ID so if you could let the officers outside know who I am, I would appreciate."

"It is done, they will be there to assist in a minute." The operator replied.

"Hurry, your officer needs assistance immediately." Nick felt nervous

attempting to help the bleeding man, who still had his ID in his hand.

"Paramedics are on scene but the building is still considered too dangerous ,they will be in momentarily, the officers need to secure the area first." The operator assured.

"Just hurry." He felt helpless to assist the officer who was now looking at him with fading eyes.

"Listen, I need you to do me a favor," his voice low and almost inaudible.

Nick brought his head nearer to the man's face,"Anything man."

"Tell my wife I loved her and tell my little girl Anna, that daddy loved her so much. Tell her that Daddy had to go to Heaven to take care of Jake." His eyes rolled shut and after a couple of hitching breaths he was gone.

Nick immediately started CPR, giving the officer two quick breaths, then checking for a pulse which was absent, he started compressions. His hands were busy trying to bring the man back to life when he heard someone above him, it was a paramedic but he was not going to stop, this man did not deserve to die today, as he looked around several other people were lying on the floor, emergency personnel were attempting rescues.

"Sir, we have it, it's okay." the young paramedic had a hand on his shoulder, getting Nick's attention to halt CPR so they could do their job. They quickly hooked the officer up to a machine. It was flat line, the officer was gone.

Nick stood slowly,continuing to stare down at the fallen officer, his right leg almost giving out as he stood, he contributed it to his exhaustion, no sleep for almost forty-eight hours.

Standing there taking in the crime scene, he knew he was part of it now, he was evidence, an eye witness to a horrible crime, his gun still lay on the floor, he was covered in the officer's blood. His hands were covered in blood, the officer's blood.

What was the officer's name, he didn't even know his name. He looked over the paramedic."Who is he? What's his name?"

The paramedic looked down at the officer's badge that was still attached to his shirt that had been ripped open by the paramedic. "His name was Steve Landers."

Nick nodded, and was going to move but he was stopped by a sharp pain in his right leg. He could not help but to grimace.

The paramedic noticed the paleness of Nick's skin, sweat beading on his forehead and approached,"Sir, are you okay?"

He would have been brave but the sudden pain in his leg was preventing his verbal ability to kick in so he just sat down, assisted by the paramedics.

"You've been hit." The paramedic announced to the now supine man before them.

He still could not respond, he felt too weak and he was being overwhelmed with dizziness.

They went to work assessing the wound and then he could hear one of the men announce over the radio that a victim was having significant bleeding, gunshot to possible femoral artery. Need to transport immediately.

He felt something tighten around his arm and then a painful sting, an oxygen mask was placed on his face. They were moving him quickly to an ambulance.

"My gun. My wallet." He mumbled with no response. He really did not even know if they could hear him, he could barely breathe, feeling suddenly very short of breath. Darkness came quickly.

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Listen, I love Nick but he is a hero, a modern day hero so I hope you like...more soon. Going to work the rest of today on my other story In God's Hands...thank you for reading...feedback is good if you want to let me know how you like or don't like. Oh you ask...where is Sara?...She will appear next chapter.


	3. Chapter 3

Title: In Search of Sara, My Friend

Author: Nicksfriend

Rating:

Spoilers: Good-bye and Good Luck

Disclaimer: They do not belong to me...that is for sure.

Author's note:This is my fourth CSI fic. I have written In God's Hands(in Progress)Contaminate (Finished) and

Where did he go and What happened post Stalker

_I love the character of Nick Stokes and have always been frustrated that he gets the least amount of air time,except maybe Gregg. I love the dynamics of the characters. And I love the science._

_This story has been written before by better writers, why Sara never said good-bye to her best friend Nick and why he never mentions her name. Warrick, Grissom and Catherine have all mentioned her leaving but I can not remember Nick saying a word,I find it sad. I also love Nick as a Hero,in a world where heroes are rare, WE have Nick Stokes._

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"The emergency room doctor had a code yellow, outside disaster, a multiple victim robbery. He had been told seven casualties and eight plus gunshot wounds coming to their ER. He readied his team, surgery on stand-by.

The first victim, a head trauma,rolled in through the doors. "Trauma room four!" He called out as he saw the gaping wound to the side of the head, the uniform noted, he was an officer.

The second and third victims were mere grazes of bullets,they were placed in regular rooms, they would probably just need stitches and antibiotics.

A fourth victim rolled in, a chest wound,the doctor opened up the make shift bandage and called surgery, "I am sending a patient to you now. He has a chest wound, possible pneumothorax. He needs surgery now." The team acknowledged the call and readied for their patient.

The ER doctor knew he had four more victims that would be routed to his ER and he stood at the door awaiting their arrival. His teams knew the drill, save all clothing for the CSI team, do not wash the patients, until evidence is gathered and all John Does would need fingerprints to establish identity. His team had been drilled,he just hoped that they got it all right amidst all of this chaos.

The fifth victim was one of the shooters, he was brought in the ambulance with handcuffs but the doctor saw that they were probably not necessary when he saw the multiple wounds to the face,chest and torso."Send this one to trauma room two,get surgery to come and look at his wounds and check his donor card,he might be using it" He directed his staff.

The sixth victim was a mere graze and he sent him to a regular room. The seventh also just a flesh wound that needed stitches.

The eighth victim was a possible femoral wound, heavy bleeding. He would take this patient,surgery had already been notified.

The victim was rolled into the ER, the paramedic shouting out numbers and giving details of how he did on the ambulance ride over, the patient was unconscious and unable to assist with a medical history or allergies.

The doctor looked at the wound and ordered his team to roll him over, no exit wound, "The bullet is still in there doing damage, I need surgery notified now!" He immediately placed a central line into the patients chest after the clothing was cut off.

The trauma team went to work immediately, cutting off the rest of their patient's clothing and removing his shoes with each item placed in a collection bag for the police. They then started inserting catheters and hooking up cardiac leads and placing oxygen on their patient.

"I need a trauma panel and let's change his fluids to lactated ringers wide open. I also need a chest x-ray and an xray of his right leg. He noted the heavy bleeding and grabbed a sterile pack from the table and a pair of hemostats. He cut the wound open, fixed the hemostats to hold it open enough to fit his finger into and held pressure,"He needs three units of blood in now ,type O,put it on the rapid transfuser and get surgery ready, I am bringing him now!"

The blood was already hanging when they pushed his gurney out the door to surgery,xrays already taken and going back to radiology to be read,lab work already being processed.

"He has no identification in his clothing?" The ER doctor asked on the elevator, looking down at the thirty something year old man.

"We found nothing, I will list him as a John Doe for now." His nurse was filling out his form for surgery, checking for jewelry she noted his watch and a brown bracelet,a medical alert bracelet, "He has had an anaphylactic reaction before to red ants, also allergic to penicillins."

"Make sure you list both, it might be useful later for identification." The doctor instructed seeing that his patient was not doing so good at the present.

The door to the surgical area opened and the surgical team took the patient and started prepping his leg for surgery, the read xrays were brought into the surgical suite, the surgeon could see that it had missed any bone but the bullet had nicked the femoral artery.

The anesthesiologist inserted a new needle into the patient's arm, the central line being used for blood and essential fluids. The patient then was given medication and intubated, his leg was draped, the surgical team then went to work to save the man's life.

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**CSI CRIME LAB**

**San Francisco**

The director knew he had his hands full, the day shift lab personnel had been called back in to help process all the evidence that was coming through the lab, someone would have to go the hospital to collect the evidence there.

The television in the lounge was giving details of the shooting and how so many had died at the scene. It was bad.

The director of the lab looked up to see that the day shift supervisor had arrived,"Sara, can you handle the victims at the hospital? I need to get another team to the store, it is a huge crime scene."

"As long as I don't have to stare at dead bodies, I am fine." Her voice letting him know that she was none to pleased to be having to come back in to work.

"Thanks." The director attempted to say but she had already closed the door to her office.

Sara had taken the job as lab supervisor only, she had seen enough death in her life and she was already getting the feeling that if they could put her out in the field again they would but she knew that she would not be able to do that and even thought about taking a teaching position that hse had been offered at Harvard,and work on her doctorate.

She rubbed at her eyes and stood, she would take her lab tech George. He was the best at collecting evidence but he did like to flirt with the girls,he reminded her of her friend Nick, that is probably why she loved to take him with her, he made her smile and giggle sometimes. She really missed Nick a lot and George was like a great band-aid for that pain, they were so much alike.

She walked out into the lab and announced "George, lets roll to the hospital." He almost tripped getting up from his station,the excitement of going out into the field was like a great rush for him.

"I'll meet you at the car." He yelled back having to run and get his jacket.

Sara nodded and grinned, 'Just like Nick, always enthusiastic.' Then she smiled again, 'Gregg too', she thought to herself, she had been so fortunate to have had such great friends,but there were things in her life that she needed to resolve and that required her to be here for a while.

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Okay, getting the feeling that maybe you might not like, no feedback usually indicates it...so the next chapter will probably be the last. Thanks for reading!!


	4. Chapter 4

Title: In Search of Sara, My Friend

Author: Nicksfriend

Rating:

Spoilers: Good-bye and Good Luck

Disclaimer: They do not belong to me...that is for sure.

Author's note:This is my fourth CSI fic.

Sorry it has taken me so long to update, work gets in the way sometimes. I had a production that I wanted to see this weekend and it was a four night deal. So I am back.

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Sara and George walked into the emergency room area of San Francisco Community Hospital,the place was buzzing with activity. Walking to the nurse's station she looked around at all the chaos and shook her head,it reminded her so much of Las Vegas minus the show girls.

"Excuse me I need to speak with the person in charge, I am Sara Sidle with SFPD, I'm here to gather evidence from the shooting victims."

The nurse nodded and picked up the phone and spoke to someone then after hanging up she turned to Sara. "Doctor Evers will be out in a few minutes."

Within a few minutes an older doctor walked into the waiting area and held out his hand,"I'm Doctor Evers, the evening director of emergency room services."

"Hi Doctor Evers, I'm Sara Sidle and this is George Meads, we are here to gather evidence from the store shootings." Sara shook the doctor's hand ,then George.

"Yes, we've expecting you, we still have three in surgery, one deceased, and three that are getting stitches and xrays. We gathered their clothing and labeled the bags, personal effects will not leave but you can examine them if you like, except for the deceased, their's will go to next of kin. But you are welcome to go through it first." Dr Evers seemed proud of his staff for doing such a great job of collecting and labeling.

"You've done half our work for us, excellent." She smiled at the older doctor and then followed him into the emergency room.

"Mr Samuel Greggers was brought in with multiple wounds,died immediately upon arrival, he has been sent to our morgue awaiting for the county to take him to the coroner's office. There are three in surgery now,they probably won't be able to talk for a few days at least,if they make it at all. Their wounds all were life threatening, it will be touch and go for a day or two."

"What about the generals." Sara asked while labeling the bags with crime scene tape and initialing each, George assisting.

"You mean the treat and streets, you can see them now. The nurse will take you to their rooms."Pointing toward an older nurse who still wore the traditional cap and dress uniform. "Abbey, can you help the investigators by taking them to the shooting victims rooms?"

Abbey nodded and started walking towards the first room, Sara followed, leaving George to sort through the bags of evidence.

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Grissom sat at his desk working on the mountain of paperwork when he looked up and saw Catherine in the hallway.

"Catherine!" He shouted trying to get her attention.

She turned around and smiled and entered his office."Hey."

"What are you still doing here, it's almost time to come back to work?"Grissom asked noting the tired appearance of his assistant supervisor.

"I could ask the same question Gil but it's fairly evident that you are finally getting around to your paperwork." She grinned and took a seat.

"It does pile up after a while." he looked up and gave her a small grin,"I hate paperwork."

"We know Gil, that is why our raises are always late."

He nodded,"Sorry."

"It's okay. I don't work myself up about it anymore, I just consider it a bonus when I finally get my retrograde pay."Smiling at her friend.

"I need you to help Warrick tomorrow on his case." Changing the subject, knowing that Catherine had the next day off.

"I kind of have plans, I thought Nick was going to help Warrick on his new case. Is Nick Sick?" A little confused as to why she was being asked to work her night off, the first one in almost seven days.

"Nick had to go out of town on some personal business. He won't be back until Monday." Grissom stood and walked over to the cabinet to pull out a file.

"Looks as if I don't have a choice." She shrugged and stood,"You owe me one Gil." She stood and exited the door,not seeming to happy to work another day of overtime.

Gil shook his head and sat back down,wondering to himself why Nick had to leave town in such a hurry. He could not help but to be reminded of Sara's sudden departure, and how much it still effected his life every day. He shook off the sad thoughts and went back to work on his paperwork, hoping he could at least finish a third of it before he left.

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Sara saw George standing in the hallway, he had finally tagged all the evidence,"You ready to go?"

"Did you look at the personal effects of the victims?" George asked as he gathered up the tagged bags with Sara assisting.

"Security had taken most of their personal belongings and locked them up already except for the deceased's personal items and all he had on him was a fairly empty wallet with his driver's license and a few pennies. We won't be able to get access to their valuables until tomorrow morning when admitting opens back up. It is their policy or something." She looked over to George who was bagging the fingernail scrapings she had gotten from the deceased in the morgue.

"What did the witness say?" He asked as he started walking down the hallway towards the exit, Sara following.

"The witnesses all told the same story. The gunman entered, told them to get down, demanded money then shot the cashier. An off duty officer entered, assisted by another cop secured the scene inside and they almost had the suspect out the door when all hell broke loose." She shrugged, and started out the door.

"So what do you think?" George asked as he waved Sara in front of him as they reached the door.

"Standard small store robbery but with a lot more victims." she responded as they walked out to the SUV.

"Are we going to talk to the surgical patients?" George asked as he lifted the hatch to his SUV to place the evidence.

"Somebody will, but probably not until tomorrow,if they even make it out of surgery at all." Placing her bags inside of the vehicle,"Let's get out of here and back to lab, we need to be back to work in the morning."

"If you want I can run by here in the morning before I come to the lab and finish going through the personal items and talk to the victims who are able to talk." George smiled at his boss. His enthusiasm for the job showing.

"Have at it George,I can start working some of the evidence." Sara returned as she made her way around to the driver's side. She could not help but to think that George was too much like Nick, a real go getter, they would have made great friends.

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The SFPD crime scene investigators waited patiently as the coroner cleared the bodies for transport, it seemed as if it were taking forever but they did have a lot of dead bodies and they had a lot of evidence to gather.

The night CSI supervisor then instructed his team to start outside and work inward, noting the number of vehicles shot up and the number of deceased numbered five on the outside of the store, leaving two dead bodies on the inside, a deceased officer and the robbery suspect.

As they finally were able to enter the inside of the store they found the officer lying on the floor near the suspected robber, the director took pictures, noting the wallet in the officer's hand he lifted it with gloved hands and opened it up, it belonged to the off duty cop that he had been told about by many of the witnesses from the store.

Nicholas Stokes, a CSI from Las Vegas, he assumed that he must of been taken to the hospital because he was definitely not on the scene outside and a vehicle at the pumps had come back to the same name. He quickly bagged the wallet and moved on to the blood pools, taking several generals of the blood and spatter on the counters, floor and walls . Motioning for the coroner to take the bodies after he had finished taking several photos and gathering blood evidence.

Collecting the multiple bullets was going to take a while. He shook his head and looked around, it was going to be a long night.

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He could hear voices and machinery, the sounds were familiar but they seemed distant, and his right leg hurt like hell.

Attempting to open his eyes was difficult at first but after a few minutes he was successful, then he noticed it, a tube was down his throat and all he could do was cough and the machine he was attached to was going crazy with alarms.

"Hey bright eyes, you aren't suppose to be awake." The nurse smiled as she readied a syringe of medicine.

He tried to wave it off, needing to know what had happened but she placed the medicated syringe into the intravenous line and within a few seconds he felt himself being pulled under again, the last thing he heard were the sound of the machines.

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Grissom rubbed at tired eyes, lying down on his office couch attempting to deal with a headache that felt as if it could turn into a migraine at any moment.

The phone rang and he slowly made his way to his desk, "Grissom."

"Hello, this is Officer John Meadows with the San Francisco Police Department. Is this Gilbert Grissom?"

Grissom's heart started racing, his first thought was Sara. "Yes, it is. How may I help you?"

"We have located a vehicle registered to a Nicholas Stokes at a robbery scene. I was trying to get some information." the officer was attempting to follow up on the missing man.

Grissom's headache was trying to kick into full force as he took in the details that the officer was telling him about the robbery and shooting and that his CSI had not been located at the scene but could be listed as a John Doe as any of the local hospitals.

"I'll be there in a few hours, do not move the vehicle until I get there. If you can hold the entire crime scene until we arrive it might be helpful in locating our officer," He received an affirmative from Officer Meadows that they would hold the scene, then hanging up the phone he pulled out his cell phone and dialed Warrick.

"Warrick." He answered as he readied for his shift.

"I need you to hand off your case to Catherine, tell her I am having to fly to San Francisco and you are going with me. She will need to be in charge." giving Warrick no details, they had plenty of time for that on the flight to San Francisco.

"Sure, is Sara okay?" Warrick asked noting the sound of anxiousness in his boss's voice.

"No, it's Nick." Grissom stated flatly, attempting to not alarm Warrick too much.

"Nick? What the hell?" Warrick, upon hearing his friend Nick's name, was now in a panic mode himself.

"We need to get going, I'll meet you at the airport." hanging up the phone before Warrick could ask another question.

After writing a quick note for Catherine and placing it on his desk he flipped off the light and left the office.

As he moved towards his car in the lot he pulled out his cell and dialed the operator for the number for the airport, he needed to make flight arrangements. 'What could Nick be doing in San Francisco and what the hell had happened?', he thought to himself as he dialed the number, knowing he would find out soon enough, hopefully his friend was fine.

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Sara and George arrived at the lab, placing the bags of evidence in the proper areas for DNA analysis and trace evidence. She would start fresh in the morning, the lab could work on some of the clothing and blood samples tonight but she knew that she would be back in a short few hours.

George waved good-night and headed out the door, she still had a few instructions to give to the night time lab supervisor regarding the evidence, then she could leave.

Evidence was pouring in from the crime scene, it would be a few days before they could actually work through it all.

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Grissom had ran by his house and grabbed a few things to take with him,not knowing how long he would be out of town. His flight would be leaving soon. Exiting his car he could not shake the bad feeling he was getting in his gut, Nick did not have the best of luck.

Warrick arrived at the airport first and checked on the booked flight. He glanced up ans saw Grissom coming down the walkway. "Hey Grissom!' He shouted, getting his supervisor's attention.

Grissom waved, recognizing him and walked over to him and sat down his bag."Hey, have you checked on the flight time yet?" he asked as he searched his bag looking for his wallet.

"What is going on, something happen to Nick?" Warrick asked not answering Grissom's original question.

Warrick looked as if someone had run over his favorite pet, well, his best friend actually.

"Listen Rick, all I know is that the police department found Nick's vehicle at a crime scene, they have been unable to locate him at this time. They are holding the scene for us though." He answered as he continued to search for his wallet, finding it and placing it into his back pant pocket.

"They don't know where Nicky is? No evidence of him at the crime scene other than his car?" Warrick's mind going into investigator mode.

"It is a huge crime scene from what I heard on the news and according to what Officer John Meadows described, seven dead at the scene, eight sent to the hospital. Nick has not been identified as any of the dead so it could be possible that he was either part of the eight sent to the hospital or he just is too busy assisting to be found yet, the officer said it was chaos there."

Warrick nodded in understanding, never assume the worse, he thought to himself but Nick's luck in the past was worrying to him, not everybody gets pushed out a window or buried alive with a box of red ants ready to eat you for supper. "The flight is boarding, we need to go." answering the earlier question.

Together they walked towards their flight,both worried about their friend.

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Time to give thanks to all of you who responded, it is a real affirmation that someone is interested in the story,and sometimes that is what we need to continue writing.

Thank you so very much to the following individuals: dcocoagirl, stokesgirl, backstagespotlight,Jess

Gens0168, loisie, but a chance, Hooleo, Julie, Mel, GSRFfan17. I really appreciate you very much.

Words can not be enough to show my appreciation and to those who have marked it as a favoritea lso.I hope I am not letting you down.


	5. Chapter 5

Title: In Search of Sara, My Friend

Author: Nicksfriend

Rating:

Spoilers: Good-bye and Good Luck

Disclaimer: They do not belong to me...that is for sure.

Author's note:This is my fourth CSI fic.

_Well, I am starting to love this story, never thought I would write anything other than Nick fic. I love his character but what I have learned is that it is about chemistry. These characters alone are not as interesting alone but together they are a team, even in television land or fic world._

_I have fallen in love with all these characters, Brass has such a dry sense of humor and I really love his quips. Tough guy versus soft and caring guy, that is what I see when I write his character. He is so awesome._

_Grissom from a distance looks a lot like Nick I've noticed, similar height and features. Also his sense of curiosity is contagious, he is like a little kid when he is on a case._

_Warrick, best friend, true friend. He can be so intense and in the early years when the writers seemed to enjoy putting the two of them together, what chemistry they had on screen. The banter was amazing._

_Sara is a little bit harder to write, I have always felt that her character played best with Nick or Gregg but I guess that is my opinion. I have always seen Hers and Nick's relationship as more like brother and sister, again my opinion._

_Catherine is a little bit too flirty for me, in Grave Danger I did like that she was there for Nick. I have always thought of her as a big sister to Nick, not so much a mother but her motherly instincts are ferocious when it comes to Nick, that I do like very much. She played it well._

_Gregg is like a teen, always having fun but does have a serious side, and is scarred to death of Grissom. Smart, well educated and he grew up as an only child. He is what I picture as upper class trying to fit into the real world._

_Nick, well, he is our favorite** modern day hero**, the person we all want to have around. He can get emotional, we have seen his caring side and his angry side. He wants to please authority but has enough character to stand up to them when it is necessary. He is a true friend to all whom he works with, a real team player._

_I just wanted to share what I love about these guys. I believe it effects how I write and why I write them as a team, trying to include each one equally._

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_**SFPD**_

_**Morning**_

_0800_

Sitting her coffee on the lounge table she gave a big yawn which was not what she wanted to be doing at the first of the shift which already promised to be long. She was seeing a possible double or triple with all the evidence that had been collected at the crime scene and the hospital.

She had arrived at six that morning and had decided to stop for ten minutes to get a coffee break. George had already called and was on his way to the hospital, hoping to get statements and to look at the personal effects when the admitting office opened.

She finished her coffee and went back to work, knowing that it was going to be a long day.

As she walked back into the busy hallway she heard her DNA lab tech Jodie call her name.

"What do you have Jodie?", as she walked into the small area.

"I have a match for one of the victims in CODIS." Excited about her find.

"Victim or suspect?" Sara felt rushed, knowing she had deadlines.

"Victim. A Mr Mark Smith. He is a police officer for us." She looked up at her superior,"Doesn't he have a wife and children?"

Sara wasn't for sure, she always seemed to distance herself from people, being in a close relationship with others wasn't something she ever really thought about. Grissom had been the first person to ever break down her emotional barriers, the only one she ever allowed herself to love. But that is why she was here, in San Francisco, to be able to move away from her past so that she could move forward.

"Make sure they have identified him at the hospital, and that his family has been notified. I will notify his director. If you identify any other officers let George know, he is working the case now with me. He will notify their superiors and the hospital." she walked away, just as Jodie identified her second victim, a Nicholas Stokes, a crime scene investigator with the Las Vegas police department. She would notify George when he arrived at the lab.

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George waited patiently as the admitting clerk ,who ran him through the wringer when he had asked to see the personal items of the robbery victims, rubbed at his face and tried to wait patiently for the clerk to locate them.

Finally the clerk reappeared with three large brown envelopes. "I will need for you to step through the door. These items are the responsibility of the hospital and I can not allow you to take them without proper documentation."

"I just want to take pictures, but if I see anything that is important to the case I will get the proper documentation." he waited for the woman to walk away and poured out the contents of the first envelope.

It only contained loose change and a wallet, identifying the man as Jerry Bates, his license with an address and a few credit cards. He also noted that the victim's wallet still contained cash so he knew that the robbery suspect did not gather the personal property of the people in the store, his only intention possibly was to rob the small store and flee quickly.

He took some pictures of the contents, wrote down the important information from the license then replaced the items back into the bag and sealed it back up with tape he found on the counter.

The next envelope was labeled with an identification number and the words John Doe. He again emptied out he contents, noting a leather emergency alert bracelet, a silver watch, and a silver Aggie ring.

He could not help but to smile when he saw the Aggie ring, the traditional dropping of the ring into a pitcher of beer and drinking until the ring hit your lips, a true tradition of Texas A&M. This guy was probably a party boy in his younger days, being a graduate of the same school, remembering the fraternity parties.

He again focused himself on the evidence but really looked forward to meeting his fellow Texas A&M grad. He raised his camera and photographed the contents of the bag.

He picked up the bracelet with gloved hands and looked at the allergy, red ants,"Wonder how he found that out?" Knowing from first hand experience that ant bites were similar to bee stings, very painful.

He picked up the brown envelope ready to reinsert the items when something else fell out on the table,a gas receipt with the last four digits of the card number. He quickly bagged it as evidence and reinserted the items, taking a print off the bracelet and watch first.

He then picked up the third envelope and emptied out the contents, the wallet also with cash and identification, Jetty Bates, a retired police officer. Jerry quickly connected the story that Sara had told him regarding the off duty cop who had assisted in getting the first suspect apprehended. Too bad the get away vehicle showed up and started shooting,all three occupants of the vehicle found dead at the scene.

Again taking photos and taking notes, writing down the victim's name and address, he sealed the envelopes back up and gave it back to the clerk. Now he would see if he could talk to any of the victims.

He exited after getting directions to the ICU where all three of the victims were located.

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Grissom and Warrick had arrived at the San Francisco airport, where a driver awaited them to take them to the crime scene.

As the Denali pulled up to the yellow crime tape, Warrick and Grissom spotted Nick's vehicle at the pumps.

Officer Meadows was busy keeping unwanted photographers from crossing the yellow tape when he saw the LVPD CSI'S arrive. He walked over and introduced himself to the older man and his CSI.

"Hi, I'm John Meadows ,we spoke on the phone." holding out his hand to Grissom then Warrick.

"This is my guy's SUV." Grissom already in investigative mode, pointing at the parked vehicle.

"Nobody has touched it yet, the team is still working the inside of the store. They did run the tags and when you are finished we will have it towed back to the lab with the other vehicles."

Grissom and Warrick gloved and approached the vehicle, the door was open on the driver's side.

Grissom looked inside, Warrick coming around to the other side, waiting for Grissom's okay before he opened the passenger door.

Grissom took note of the open cell phone lying in the seat, the glove compartment was also open, Nick's spare gun missing. With his gloved hand he reached over and picked up the cellphone, scrolling down to see that the last number was a call to 911. It did not take a rocket scientist to figure it out, Nick had witnessed the robbery, probably tried to assist,and was more than likely in a hospital.

"Did you find Nicholas Stokes' location yet?" He asked Meadows anxiously.

"We have not located him yet, there is a lot of evidence so we still have a lot of officers on the scene, maybe our crime scene investigators found something." He motioned to the supervisor who was standing outside talking on the phone.

"I'll ask him." Grissom walked off to talk to the supervisor. Warrick looked at Meadows,"He does that all the time." shrugged his shoulders then followed Grissom across the parking lot to where the supervisor was talking on his cell.

Grissom waited patiently for the call to end and then introduced himself to the older man, "I'm Gilbert Grissom and this is Warrick Brown, we're with the Las Vegas crime lab.

"David Lawson, nice to meet you." He responded, wondering why the LVPD had been called.

"We are here hunting for one of guys, his car is parked in front of the pumps."pointing at the Denali. His name is Nicholas Stokes.

"Actually I collected a wallet that belonged to Mr Stokes, our deceased officer was holding it when we found him." He paused, "Makes sense now, the officer was probably checking the identity of the man holding a gun, since he was not in uniform. It's standard procedure to identify anybody who claims to be an officer."

"Do you know where our guys is?" Grissom just wanted to find Nick and make sure he was fine.

"All I know is that we sent eight victims to San Francisco Community Hospital, four with life threatening injuries, three with less significant injuries. I haven't checked with the dayshift supervisor on any more information but if you want you can go to the hospital or to our lab I can give you directions." Larson's cell was ringing and he held up his hand and turned to take the call.

"I'll go to the hospital." Warrick volunteered.

"Listen Warrick, if you hear anything or find Nick call me." Grissom instructed as he waited for the officer to finish his call.

Warrick flagged down an officer and flashed his credentials asking for a ride to the hospital. The officer more than happy to leave the crime scene.

Grissom was about to get directions from another officer when Larson came back, "We have a John Doe at San Francisco Community hospital. Our day shift lab supervisor will be going to meet our CSI Meads there, if you want to meet them there first and see if your guy is the John Doe, then come to the lab afterwards then that will be fine."

m Grissom nodded and turned quickly to catch Warrick,"Warrick, wait for me." He called out catching the officer before he pulled out of the parking lot.

"Thanks, I will see you later." Grissom appreciating Larson's assistance, rushed over to the awaiting vehicle.

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Sara exited her vehicle, getting a call from an excited George that they had a John Doe in ICU. Reaching into the back and retrieving her case she walked into the emergency room doors and then followed the signs to the ICU. She would need to fingerprint and obtain blood for comparison analysis and identification of the victim so that the next of kin could be notified.

As she approached the elevator she saw George standing at the vending machines, trying to decide what piece of sugar filled treat he wanted.

"George, junk food for breakfast?" she asked as she came up behind him, startling him.

"I'm hungry and I thought it would take you longer to get here considering morning traffic." giving up on the machine and pushing the elevator button.

"Tell me what you know George about our John Doe." she asked as she pushed the button for the ICU. He was about to give her the information when a couple entered the elevator to ride up with them. He knew the confidentiality laws so he stayed quiet, waiting to give his supervisor the information when they exited.

The couple exited first then George and Sara. "Well, what do we have?" again asking George the same question.

Just as George was about to give the information again he was interrupted by her cell.

Getting dirty looks from the nurse at the desk, who was pointing at the sign that stated 'Shut off all cellphones', she quickly acknowledged, noting that she would need to call Larson when she got out of the critical care ward.

George was already making the staff aware that they were with the crime lab and that they needed to see the John Doe. The nurse nodded and pushed the door button to allow them entrance.George waved Sara to follow him into the ICU.

Putting away her cell she quickly followed George into the ICU.

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Grissom and Warrick arrived at the hospital and entered through the emergency room elevators, following the signs to the ICU area. They were both quiet, concerned about what they might find,concerned for their friend.

As they entered the elevator, Warrick punched the button to ICU. The elevator ride was short and when they exited they noted the sign to cut off cellphones, both took theirs out and complied with the rules.

Grissom approached the nurse's desk and flipped out his ID, "I am with the Las Vegas police department, I am here concerning your John Doe from the shooting last night." handing her his identification card.

"Yes, we just let two others in to see him, it will be a few minutes. I believe they were with the San Francisco Crime Lab." the nurse gave his card back and waved to the waiting area,"I will call you when they are done."

Grissom nodded and took a seat with Warrick in the waiting area. Grissom could not help but to think that too many of his days of late had been waiting for news concerning his CSI'S health.

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I know...I am mean. Maybe next chapter?? Let me know if you like!


	6. Chapter 6

Title: In Search of Sara, My Friend

Author: Nicksfriend

Rating:

Spoilers: Good-bye and Good Luck

Disclaimer: They do not belong to me...that is for sure.

Author's note:This is my fourth CSI fic.

As George and Sara entered the ICU area they were bombarded by sounds of alarms and monitors. This was different that the sounds of silence of the morgue. They were more use to dealing with the dead than the living.

Sara and George walked over to the nurse's station to speak with the person in charge. A nurse with brown curls and a stoic expression walked up,"I'm the charge nurse, can I help you?"

"I'm Sara Sidle and this is George Meads, we're with the SFPD, we have come to see if we can get statements from any of the three victims. Maybe we can also help to identify your John Doe." flashing the nurse her ID.

"We've been expecting you,unfortunately they are all still unconscious and intubated, except for our John Doe, he is getting extubated as we speak but it will probably be a little while before he can talk,due to the drugs in his system."The nurse pointing towards the cubicle in the back that was now crowded with doctors and nurses.

"We can at least get fingerprints, maybe we can get a hit in our system." Seeing that the visit was not going to be very productive.

"If you don't mind waiting for a few minutes I'll let you back to see him when they are finished." The nurse smiled and went back to work.

Sara and George decided to wait at the nurse's station, hopefully it wouldn't take very long.

"Okay George while we are waiting, give me what you have." Sara pulled out her notepad and a pen to write down the details.

Well, our first victim is a retired police officer,his name is Jerry Bates. I figure he was the cop that was first on the scene.

"Actually that makes sense." She mumbled as she wrote down his name."What else George?"

"The second victim is Mark Smith,not much more than a driver's license on him,I have an address. I will give the information to Jodie when we get back to the lab." George continued.

"Anything on our John Doe?" She asked, not expecting much.

George's attention was distracted for a few seconds with a series of monitors going off, a flurry of activity starting. "Our John Doe had a watch, color silver , standard brand. Also he had an Aggie ring, he must have been a Texas A&M graduate, and I should know I went there too."

Sara stopped writing,"It must have been a popular school, a guy I worked with in Las Vegas went there too. A Nick Stokes."

"I know him, he played baseball and football, his pictures are in the athletic house, he was an all-star athlete. Stokes was the district attorney's son, of course now his father is a federal judge." George rattled on about the athletic history of Nick Stokes.

"All- star, well Nick who are a modest man. He never told me that he excelled at sports. Guess our all-star Nicky was just a little shy." smiling, remembering a time when they tested out a towel bar. Starting to write down notes again she could not help but to let out a giggle,knowing all the time that Nick was checking her out as she fought with the towel bar..

George grinned and continued taking in the increasing sounds of alarms but wanted to give her one more bit of information,"One more thing with our John Doe,which might be helpful is that he had a medic alert bracelet. He has an allergy to ants. Red ants. Wonder how he found that out?"

George mumbled on but Sara was not hearing him anymore, all she heard was ant bites. Allergy? Nick? She turned to see if she could get a glimpse of the man in the cubicle, her view was blocked by the activity in the room.

"Sara, you okay." A concerned George asked seeing that his supervisor was concentrating now on the cubicle that held their John Doe.

"What did it look like?" she asked in a very stressed voice. Remembering the day in the hospital, after his severe reaction to the ant venom that she had given Nick the bracelet, him laughing and swearing he did not wear any jewelry except for his ring. But he had decided it was smart when he found himself at a crime scene several months later having to use his epi pen after get stung.

"What? The bracelet?",George asked confused as to the question being asked by his supervisor.

"Yes , George the bracelet. What did it look like?" Starring over at George with a look of panic.

"It was a brown men's leather bracelet." George was trying to remember if it had any specific identifying marks but could not remember any. "Why are you asking?"

"Oh God, Nick?" She walked over to the cubicle to see if she could get a glimpse of the man in the bed but the doctor was blocking her view so she decided that she would walk into the room, to hell with the rules.

"Miss you will have to leave, we are busy." The doctor reprimanded her but she could not hear his voice, all she could see was her friend, Nick Stokes.

"Nick?" Tears now streaming down her face. Why was he here in San Francisco? Then it dawned on her,the reality of the situation was that he was Nick, a true friend, he was looking for her, she had left months ago, without even a good-bye.

George was now standing behind her,"What's wrong Sara?" he asked confused to his boss's reaction but upon seeing the man in the bed, he quickly related it to the pictures he had seen of Nick Stokes, the all-star athlete."Oh, shit." He mumbled to himself.

Sara remained quiet starring at her friend, seeing the large bandage to his leg and the multiple tubes streaming away from his still body.

The doctor suddenly realizing that someone had a name for the patient, wanted to talk about his medical history."Do you know him?"

George seeing that Sara was still in shock at seeing her friend decided to answer."We think he might be a Nick Stokes."

"I really need some medical information on this patient, so anything you can give me will help." The doctor's voice now more calm and appreciative.

Sara still stood in shock at seeing her friend,"Can I visit for a few seconds, I promise I will answer your questions afterward." walking closer to the medical bed,seeing the pale color to his skin and the tube that still remained in his throat."I thought you were going to take that out."

"The breathing tube? He is getting weaned off the ventilator, it is just taking a little bit longer than we expected. I was wondering if he had a history of pneumonia?" The doctor was taking notes as they spoke.

"Yeah, he was bitten by a large number of ants a few years ago, he had an anaphylactic reaction and later developed pneumonia.He had a really tough go at it, his doctor told him that there was some scarring of his right lung."Staying focused on Nick ,reaching down she touched his hand, noting more connections and intravenous lines.

"What hospital?" the doctor was now totally focused on every word Sara spoke.

George looked on at the scene before him, he was surprised at her reaction to the man in the bed, she had always seemed distant and unattached. Maybe he had misjudged her, given her sudden emotional attachment to the man in the bed.

"Desert Palms in Las Vegas, Nevada. His name is Nicholas Parker Stokes. If you have any other questions who need to contact his supervisor, Gilbert Grissom at the Las Vegas Police Department, he is a crime scene investigator."

Her answers had pleased the doctor who now was walking out of the room towards the desk.

"Hey, I will just wait for you out in the waiting room." George had already started out the door,knowing that she probably did not even hear his words, she was too focused on her friend.

"Nick,what did you do?" she asked quietly sitting down in the seat beside Nick's bed,knowing that her friend's wounds were the result of him being a hero again.

Tears streamed down her face, her hand wrapped now in his still hand."Is this because I left without saying good-bye? Nick I am so sorry." her voice low, sad and filled with pain for her friend.

Suddenly she felt a small squeeze of her hand, she looked over to see droopy, drugged eyes trying to focus on her, she gave him a small grin,"Hey."she was too emotional to say much more than a word.

He looked around the best he could then tried to focus back on Sara, rolling his eyes,knowing that he must of messed this up big time.

Noticing that he seemed confused as to his surroundings she knew that she needed to give him some information,"You're at San Francisco Community Hospital. You have a leg injury, I'm thinking gunshot wound given the circumstances of you getting here. The doctor is working to get you off the ventilator."

He nodded and looked up at the monitors and fluids that hung above his bed.

"They are giving you the works Nick. I need to call Grissom,let him know you are here." her smile disappearing at the thought of having to call Gil, her departure was sudden and she knew that she had hurt the only man she ever loved.

Sara stood, Nick's eyes now starring at her with absolute focused attention, his finger raised,pointing at her stomach's bulge.

"Yes Nick I am pregnant,it's Grissom's baby." A sadness overcame her and tears came down a lot heavier, her right hand reaching up automatically swiping at the tears.

Nick reached out and took her left hand, his eyes expressed to her all that she wanted to hear,'It's going to be okay.'

She gave him a small grin,"I'll be back in a few minutes."

The tube prevented him from smiling back, he just gave her a small wave.

Nick closed his eyes, he had found her,she was fine. She was pregnant.

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Okay, I just wanted to give this moment a chapter of it's own.


	7. Chapter 7

Title: In Search of Sara, My Friend

Author: Nicksfriend

Rating:

Spoilers: Good-bye and Good Luck

Disclaimer: They do not belong to me...that is for sure.

Author's note:This is my fourth CSI fic.

Walking of the cubicle door she felt as if she would faint, she had just lied to her best friend,that is why she left, he would have figured it out. Nick would have put the puzzle together, realizing that the baby was not Grissom's.

She went to the desk, knowing that George was waiting for her in the ICU waiting area, she needed to do one thing, she needed to leave Nick a note,she had to tell him the truth and ask him to leave and never look for her again, it would be the best thing for her and her baby.

Walking back to the nurse's station she asked for a piece of paper and she took out her pen, her hands shaking uncontrollably she wrote:

_My Dearest friend Nick_

_I need you to go home. Always remember our friendship and how much I it meant to me but you know that I need to move on with my life. I have things that I want to get done and that includes teaching and establishing a closer relationship with my mother. Finally being the person I always wanted to be but was afraid to be._

_Please allow our friends to help you through this difficult time,they really care about you and what happens to you, I know, I was there when you went missing, buried alive, left to die. We all wanted what was best for you but we saw how you suffered and how you changed afterwards. They love you Nick, as much as I love you. Let them help you, allow them to be there for you._

_Nick, I lied to you and I am ashamed that I did but the truth is that the baby is not Grissom's. I lied because I did not want you to think bad of me, to think I was someone who was capable of breaking one man's heart for another._

_Remember, I will always love you as a brother. You were/are my best friend. Help Grissom by being there for him, allowing him to grieve my absence. You are the only one I can count on to do that, because the one truth I absolutely know is that you have the heart of a saint and the strength of a giant._

_You will always be my hero._

_Love_

_Sara_

_P.S. I will never tell you good-bye, because Good-bye is forever and I plan on us seeing each other again someday._

She folded the paper carefully and handed it to the nurse,"Please give this Mr Stokes after I leave."

The nurse smiled and took the paper and pointed towards Nick's cubicle, "The doctor just went in to remove his tube."

"I need to leave, tell the other CSI, George Meads that I had to leave, tell him I took a cab." She looked around, "Is that the back elevator out?"

"Yeah, it is a direct connection to the emergency room."The nurse started walking towards Nick's cubicle but turned to speak to a fleeing Sara ,"Is there anything else I should tell him?"

"Tell him not to tell Grissom that he saw me." the sad look on her face evident to the nurse.

"Okay."Nodding confirmation that she would tell her friend, confused as to who she was talking about.

Sara went to the elevator and punched the number. When she entered she could no longer hold back the tears,she really missed her friends but she had to let them go,they would never understand.

CSI CSI CSI CSI CSI CSI CSIROCKS

Warrick and Grissom stood patiently in the ICU waiting area to see if the John Doe was their friend, a few others families were awaiting news on their loved ones too.

Nick's nurse came back to announce that they could visit and they had a positive identification made, the John Doe was actually was Nick Stokes.

A look of total relief crossed their faces and they quickly stood to walk into the ICU area, afraid to see what condition they might find Nick in knowing that he had been shot.

She waited until they left and motioned for George,"You partner left. She said that she was going to take a cab back."

George felt confused as to his partner's actions but he knew that she was emotionally involved with the man in the ICU bed, maybe it was very upsetting for her to see him, anyways he needed to get back to the lab with the evidence. He thanked the nurse and headed out to his car.

CSI CSI CSI CSI CSI CSI CSIROCKSCS

Nick had just finished reading the letter, tears still evident on his face, she had moved on with her life, she was well and she was pregnant. He had to let her go, she had moved on with her life and she was not ready to allow anybody back in at this time,the father of her baby was only her business.

Nick was about to close his eyes, the nurse had just given him something for pain, He slid the letter underneath his pillow,and tried to relax. He would call Grissom when he awakened.

"You are such a bum." the familiar voice of Warrick Brown resounded above him.

His eyes flew open to see his boss and Warrick standing beside his bed."How?" his voice cracking due to the tortuous tube he had just gotten ridden of just minutes before.

"Well, let's just say,we followed the evidence." Grisson flatly replied.

Nick nodded his head, his hand reaching under the pillow to make sure the letter was still there. "My vehicle." he grinned, the pain in leg easing up just a little bit.

"Yeah, we're just good, John Doe." Warrick emphasizing the new given name, making fun of the fact that he was actually a John Doe.

"I kinda like the name myself,it is more like me, humble." he smiled at his friend.

"Nick Stokes humble. Right." He paused and looked down at Nick's swollen and wrapped leg,"That looks as if it might hurt a little bit." Pointing to his leg.

"The pain med is helping. When can I go home?" He asked to Grissom's and Warrick's surprise.

"You just got here last night. Did you find what you were looking for already?" Grissom asked, wondering why he had changed his plans.

"I think I found what I was looking for ." Nick responded. "As soon as they will allow me to leave,I want to go home."

"I will drive your car back, as soon as they process it. I like a good road trip." Warrick volunteered.

Grissom was suspicious of Nick's change of heart, it could have been the robbery but he had a gut feeling that it was more than getting shot.

The nurse walked back into the room,"Hey, you are doing great. We are going to move you to a private room. You should be going to rehab then home soon."

"Can I do rehab when I return home, I really want to go home." Nick practically was begging.

"I am sure the doctors could answer that question better than I. I guess that depends on how well you do here in the next couple of days." The nurse continued.

"I just want to go home." his words fading as the pain med gripped him and pulled him under.

Warrick and Grissom looked at each other in confusion. Why was Nick suddenly in such a hurry to leave, it could be the trauma from being shot. They both shook their heads and left to wait until Nick was moved to a private room.

CSI CSI CSI CSI CSI CSI CSIROCKSCS

He had been moved to a private room, the letter was tucked away in his new duffel bag that Warrick had purchased along with underwear,socks, a t-shirt which advertised the use of safe sex, Warrick's humor of course and a new pair of jeans and a pair of fluffy slippers. Warrick would pay as soon as he could manage a standing position.

Lawson had come by that evening and got his statement, telling him that he would not need to come back to testify but would have to go through standard procedures to get his weapon back.

Now he was lying quietly in bed, Warrick had taken his car back to Las Vegas after promising to make no side trips to any of the local bars.

Grissom would be back to assist him to the plane in the morning, he would be flying to Las Vegas and transported to Desert Palms from there, per Grissom's orders.

He pulled out the letter again and started to read it to himself. He would miss his friend, she was a part of him regardless of the distance. She had secrets to keep and he would help her, he would be there for Grissom. He would be there for their friend. He folded the letter again and stuffed it back into the duffel bag, he was ready to go home.

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The end

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